Sun Sep 9, 2012, 08:43 PM

Within Hours, Mitt Romney Takes Back Everything He Said About Preexisting Conditions

Source: Mother Jones

On national TV this morning, with millions of people watching, Mitt Romney told David Gregory that there were parts of Obamacare he actually liked. In fact, he said, one of the goals of his healthcare plan "is to make sure that those with preexisting conditions can get coverage." A few hours later, with approximately zero people listening, a spokesman quietly "clarified" what he meant:

In reference to how Romney would deal with those with preexisting conditions and young adults who want to remain on their parents’ plans, a Romney aide responded that there had been no change in Romney’s position and that “in a competitive environment, the marketplace will make available plans that include coverage for what there is demand for. He was not proposing a federal mandate to require insurance plans to offer those particular features.”

As it happens, we already have a competitive market for individual insurance. In addition, we already have demand for coverage of preexisting conditions. And yet, the marketplace doesn't make policies available to people with preexisting conditions.

Why? Because policies that cover preexisting conditions are big money losers unless you charge premiums high enough that no one could afford them. Because of that, nobody bothers to offer them in the first place. That's how the free market works. It would be nice if Romney could explain how he intends to square this circle.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2012/09/within-hours-mitt-romney-takes-back-everything-he-said-about-preexisting-conditio

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119 replies	Author	Time	Post
Within Hours, Mitt Romney Takes Back Everything He Said About Preexisting Conditions (Original post)	highplainsdem	Sep 2012	OP
When is the MSM going to wake up that Mitt says lies so they make him look good	riverbendviewgal	Sep 2012	#1
Good gawd... If they don't expose this habitual liar in full--well before the debates...	hlthe2b	Sep 2012	#4
Look at the comments in the NYTimes on the story	karynnj	Sep 2012	#27
Romney following the Bible.	aletier_v	Sep 2012	#85
Book Of Mormon	heide70	Sep 2012	#88
Is Mitt's Every Policy on Everything really Nothing going Nowhere	riverbendviewgal	Sep 2012	#97
wow, those lyrics are actually really apropos	renate	Sep 2012	#100
Perfect theme song for Romney nt	karynnj	Sep 2012	#111
"No Where Men" ...that nails Rmoney and Lyan	goclark	Sep 2012	#114
not!!!	heaven05	Sep 2012	#98
Not really	karynnj	Sep 2012	#110
This Is Why Romney's Handlers	DallasNE	Sep 2012	#90
I am seeing the comments are more anti-Romney than the journalism	adigal	Sep 2012	#103
"Our MSM needs to just hire out to be paid mouthpieces...."	nxylas	Sep 2012	#112
Uh oh Mitt was speaking without his ventriloquist again, people are going to figure out he is just	Heather MC	Sep 2012	#29
Really Funny	oldsarge54	Sep 2012	#94
Multiple Choice	skeewee08	Sep 2012	#2
This is the worst candidate I can remember in my lifetime.	reflection	Sep 2012	#3
Me too, and I've been around for a while!!!	elleng	Sep 2012	#22
Say that again...	LovingA2andMI	Sep 2012	#34
This MittWitt	Flatpicker	Sep 2012	#66
Thanks for the explanation...	LovingA2andMI	Sep 2012	#70
Agreed, at this rate, Miss Romney is going to have to implode at some point...	johnnyrocket	Sep 2012	#43
I feel the same way. Has there ever been a candidate who admit to having an off shore account?	sarcasmo	Sep 2012	#52
In my 83 years I have never seen anyone like Romney who was running for	lumpy	Sep 2012	#59
I've got a little more than half those 83 years...	RevStPatrick	Sep 2012	#74
In my 49 years I have never seen anyone like Romney who was running for dogcatcher	jmowreader	Sep 2012	#78
So he tries to appeal to the masses on TV, then has a spokesperson "quietly" walk it back	Laurian	Sep 2012	#5
This is going to bite him HARD in the debates	budkin	Sep 2012	#6
The Obama/Biden campaign has to be informed of this BEFORE the debates	Amonester	Sep 2012	#28
Oh believe me, they know about this very well	Bjorn Against	Sep 2012	#38
If Dems and Obama are on their game, tend to agree.	pinto	Sep 2012	#36
Lying and changing his mind are his pre-existing conditions	TheCowsCameHome	Sep 2012	#7
"In a minute there is time for decisions and revisions which a minute shall reverse". . .	Journeyman	Sep 2012	#8
Not a flip-flop. More cynical than that.	no_hypocrisy	Sep 2012	#9
Agreed.	highplainsdem	Sep 2012	#12
The "clarification" was for his donors, not his voters.	obxhead	Sep 2012	#50
Local ABC News did not mention the retraction.	no_hypocrisy	Sep 2012	#77
When he was governor here	Submariner	Sep 2012	#10
He used Massachusetts as a doormat.	TheCowsCameHome	Sep 2012	#14
This message was self-deleted by its author	bupkus	Sep 2012	#19
Christie and Romney try to top each other	Bernardo de La Paz	Sep 2012	#92
How can any person with even half a brain vote for this guy???	BattyDem	Sep 2012	#11
And the knuckle-dragging, Medicare-consuming, Social Security enjoying assholes....	Swede Atlanta	Sep 2012	#13
someone needs to tweet this to David Gregory, with some other visible hashtags...	progressivebydesign	Sep 2012	#15
Willard ........ the Great American Liar and Fraud	Angry Dragon	Sep 2012	#16
This message was self-deleted by its author	bupkus	Sep 2012	#17
Worst candidate ever?	redwitch	Sep 2012	#18
Serious question here:	TheCowsCameHome	Sep 2012	#20
Obama, at the debates.	chollybocker	Sep 2012	#42
I hope you are right, and	TheCowsCameHome	Sep 2012	#46
Etch-a-Sketch moment!	SoapBox	Sep 2012	#21
not surprising since he's taking positions he is supposed to, rather than ones he believes or has	BREMPRO	Sep 2012	#23
Mitt gives me whiplash	Liberal_in_LA	Sep 2012	#24
Mit is like fast paced ping-pong	sakabatou	Sep 2012	#25
I see now why the campaign doesn't want to spill details about anything	high density	Sep 2012	#26
And this flake wants to be leader of the free world	jsr	Sep 2012	#30
Disclaimer: The positions of this candidate in no way reflect	rurallib	Sep 2012	#31
ROFL!	mikki35	Sep 2012	#80
It's like the Three Faces of Eve - Mitt becomes a completely different person at will	aint_no_life_nowhere	Sep 2012	#32
Kidd you not...	LovingA2andMI	Sep 2012	#39
"I don't know what I said, but I stand by it, whatever it was"	aint_no_life_nowhere	Sep 2012	#49
That has to be the most bizarre statement ever from a presidential candidate.	spiderpig	Sep 2012	#60
matt taibi nailed it in the first four paragraphs of his rolling stone article:	niyad	Sep 2012	#33
Trust Obama and his friends to expose Romney.	speedoo	Sep 2012	#83
He flips - his spokesman flops	Smilo	Sep 2012	#35
I feel your Bain, Mitt.	pinto	Sep 2012	#37
Political Ad Idea	chuckstevens	Sep 2012	#40
Karma Chameleon.	chollybocker	Sep 2012	#47
Thanks!	chuckstevens	Sep 2012	#57
Is this guy even able to make a single public appearance without a major gaffe?	Bjorn Against	Sep 2012	#41
Another thing I been thinking about...	LovingA2andMI	Sep 2012	#67
I agree, the whole Mitt, Ann thing is bizarre	mountain grammy	Sep 2012	#76
Well, Duh!	DallasNE	Sep 2012	#44
How can anyone trust Mr flip flop	SmittynMo	Sep 2012	#45
If Mitt wasn't so scary he would be hilarious...	Kalidurga	Sep 2012	#48
Oops, guess they got the phone call from the insurance companies today.	hollysmom	Sep 2012	#51
Exactly - the insurance companies insisted on the individual mandate before agreeing to cover	progree	Sep 2012	#61
More of that "empathy"	atreides1	Sep 2012	#53
Mr. Wizard is going to do it all - let the magic of the marketplace work	progree	Sep 2012	#54
Help Me Mr. Wizard!	chuckstevens	Sep 2012	#58
time for this one to go home	central scrutinizer	Sep 2012	#63
LOL	chuckstevens	Sep 2012	#65
And Syria n/t	progree	Sep 2012	#64
What is WRONG with this person???	spiderpig	Sep 2012	#55
Driving home today	LovingA2andMI	Sep 2012	#84
Don't you just...	spiderpig	Sep 2012	#91
The speed of his flip flop may very well have exceeded the speed of light...	Agnosticsherbet	Sep 2012	#56
Private Insurance companies had 60 yrs to come up a universal plan, they chose profits!	CarmanK	Sep 2012	#62
How can he get away with this over and over again?	DeSwiss	Sep 2012	#68
that's exactly how	renate	Sep 2012	#102
Romney is a Frightening Yo Yo	Sandy one	Sep 2012	#69
The half life of his lies is quickly decreasing.	sofa king	Sep 2012	#71
Etch-a-Sketch Alert!	Zambero	Sep 2012	#72
Williard the Multiple Choice Candidate.	Historic NY	Sep 2012	#73
Everything you need to know about Rmoney in one picture	meow2u3	Sep 2012	#75
OMG says Romney's handlers	Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin	Sep 2012	#79
This MUST be one of the things clarified BIG-TIME	99th_Monkey	Sep 2012	#81
I was extremely surprised when I read that earlier. Why?	Samantha	Sep 2012	#82
Romney thinks Americana are idiots!	CoffeeCat	Sep 2012	#86
I can't wait till the debates,	alp227	Sep 2012	#87
Mittens	heide70	Sep 2012	#89
MotherJones is great	mojo2012	Sep 2012	#93
If the market made it available then we wouldn't have needed the law.	ck4829	Sep 2012	#95
Maybe his plan is for people with preexisting conditions to buy into medicare at reasonable rates	greymattermom	Sep 2012	#96
Would "Etch-a-Flop" or "Flip-a-Sketch" work better as nicknames?	IDemo	Sep 2012	#99
Republicans are Freaking Flip Flopping Pharisees	Berlum	Sep 2012	#101
So, where does Rmoney stand on this issue TODAY??	kestrel91316	Sep 2012	#104
The Fort Worth Star Telegram gave the first statement big coverage	McCamy Taylor	Sep 2012	#105
And to think Romney was the BEST of the Republican field	JackHughes	Sep 2012	#106
If he gets in, he immediately goes for broke to wreck Medicare, Social Security	Faygo Kid	Sep 2012	#107
That creature doesn't need an Etch-a-Sketch. He needs a trampoline.	sarge43	Sep 2012	#108
"how he intends to square this circle"	Martin Eden	Sep 2012	#109
Pathological.	blkmusclmachine	Sep 2012	#113
From RW NY Daily News: "Health-care reform is Romney's preexisting condition"	pampango	Sep 2012	#115
Seems the Republican tactic this time around is lie on TV and tell the truth	Monk06	Sep 2012	#116
The show they lied on should always have a breaking news disclosure as soon as they take back their	riverbendviewgal	Sep 2012	#117
They should do a split screne before and after vid for everythin he says here on in.	Monk06	Sep 2012	#118
He's such a f**king loser.	zellie	Sep 2012	#119

Response to highplainsdem (Original post)

Sun Sep 9, 2012, 08:46 PM

riverbendviewgal (2,461 posts)

1. When is the MSM going to wake up that Mitt says lies so they make him look good

AND A few hours later takes them back.

This man is very,, very very sick. He deserves to be put in a mental institution, not the White House.

Within Hours, Mitt Romney Takes Back Everything He Said About Preexisting Conditions

1. When is the MSM going to wake up that Mitt says lies so they make him look good

4. Good gawd... If they don't expose this habitual liar in full--well before the debates...

27. Look at the comments in the NYTimes on the story

85. Romney following the Bible.

88. Book Of Mormon

97. Is Mitt's Every Policy on Everything really Nothing going Nowhere

100. wow, those lyrics are actually really apropos

111. Perfect theme song for Romney nt

114. "No Where Men" ...that nails Rmoney and Lyan

98. not!!!

110. Not really

90. This Is Why Romney's Handlers

103. I am seeing the comments are more anti-Romney than the journalism

112. "Our MSM needs to just hire out to be paid mouthpieces...."

29. Uh oh Mitt was speaking without his ventriloquist again, people are going to figure out he is just

94. Really Funny

2. Multiple Choice

3. This is the worst candidate I can remember in my lifetime.

22. Me too, and I've been around for a while!!!

34. Say that again...

66. This MittWitt

70. Thanks for the explanation...

43. Agreed, at this rate, Miss Romney is going to have to implode at some point...

52. I feel the same way. Has there ever been a candidate who admit to having an off shore account?

59. In my 83 years I have never seen anyone like Romney who was running for

74. I've got a little more than half those 83 years...

78. In my 49 years I have never seen anyone like Romney who was running for dogcatcher

5. So he tries to appeal to the masses on TV, then has a spokesperson "quietly" walk it back

6. This is going to bite him HARD in the debates

28. The Obama/Biden campaign has to be informed of this BEFORE the debates

38. Oh believe me, they know about this very well

36. If Dems and Obama are on their game, tend to agree.

7. Lying and changing his mind are his pre-existing conditions

8. "In a minute there is time for decisions and revisions which a minute shall reverse". . .

9. Not a flip-flop. More cynical than that.

12. Agreed.

50. The "clarification" was for his donors, not his voters.

77. Local ABC News did not mention the retraction.

10. When he was governor here

14. He used Massachusetts as a doormat.

92. Christie and Romney try to top each other

11. How can any person with even half a brain vote for this guy???

13. And the knuckle-dragging, Medicare-consuming, Social Security enjoying assholes....

15. someone needs to tweet this to David Gregory, with some other visible hashtags...

16. Willard ........ the Great American Liar and Fraud

18. Worst candidate ever?

20. Serious question here:

42. Obama, at the debates.

46. I hope you are right, and

21. Etch-a-Sketch moment!

23. not surprising since he's taking positions he is supposed to, rather than ones he believes or has

24. Mitt gives me whiplash

25. Mit is like fast paced ping-pong

26. I see now why the campaign doesn't want to spill details about anything

30. And this flake wants to be leader of the free world

31. Disclaimer: The positions of this candidate in no way reflect

80. ROFL!

32. It's like the Three Faces of Eve - Mitt becomes a completely different person at will

39. Kidd you not...

49. "I don't know what I said, but I stand by it, whatever it was"

60. That has to be the most bizarre statement ever from a presidential candidate.

33. matt taibi nailed it in the first four paragraphs of his rolling stone article:

83. Trust Obama and his friends to expose Romney.

35. He flips - his spokesman flops

37. I feel your Bain, Mitt.

40. Political Ad Idea

47. *Karma* Chameleon.

57. Thanks!

41. Is this guy even able to make a single public appearance without a major gaffe?

67. Another thing I been thinking about...

76. I agree, the whole Mitt, Ann thing is bizarre

44. Well, Duh!

45. How can anyone trust Mr flip flop

48. If Mitt wasn't so scary he would be hilarious...

51. Oops, guess they got the phone call from the insurance companies today.

61. Exactly - the insurance companies insisted on the individual mandate before agreeing to cover

53. More of that "empathy"

54. Mr. Wizard is going to do it all - let the magic of the marketplace work

58. Help Me Mr. Wizard!

47. Karma Chameleon.